Yet Darker
by ArcHammer123
Summary: Baljeet was wrong, destroying the Do-overinator didn't fix the situation. Oh it stopped the time loop, and it prevented any more rifts from opening into the Empty World, but it turns out the Empty World doesn't like to lose what it gains. Phineas, Ferb, and the gang must try to break back into existence itself, all while mysterious forces watch with great interest.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: Dark

There was a wave of shadow, strange sounds, a feeling that defied exact description. When the shadows cleared, it was not what Phineas was wanting to see.

"Oh no, why are we back here?" he said

Looking around, it was apparent that they were back in the Empty World. All eyes turned to Baljeet.

"Baljeet, I thought you said destroying that machine would fix everything!" Candace screamed.

"I thought it would! I do not know why we are back in this place." he replied.

"Everyone, stay calm." Isabella ordered. "We need to find another way out of this place."

"No, do you not understand? There is no other way out besides the rifts. And with the machine destroyed…" Baljeet said.

"Then we're stuck in here." Candace whispered.

 _Hhm, they seem so afraid. I wonder if they know just how bad their situation is._

This thought was followed by silence, before it was followed by another.

 _How long has it been since I formed an actual thought like that? It's been… a while, I assume. And just when these children arrive, it can't be a coincidence, could it? I wonder, could they be the key out of this place? Either way, they seem… very, very interesting._

"No! This won't stand, there has to be some way out of here!" Phineas shouted with a mix of anger and desperation.

"I am sorry, but I do not know of any way to get back into the time stream now that the rifts will not open anymore." Baljeet said, practically in tears.

"N-no, this can't be it! We can't just be stuck here, it's… IMPOSSIBLE! It, it, it…" Phineas trailed off as he collapsed to the ground.

"Phineas!" Isabella reached him first and quickly determined that the boy had fainted.

"Come on, we need to find somewhere else to figure this out. Especially if those tigers are still here."

Gretchen stood on the sidewalk in front of her house, waiting. She'd lost track of how many times it happened, and then it started happening sooner. But now, nothing. It should have happened by now, but it didn't. She was somewhat relieved, and she almost relaxed. Almost.

She felt into her pocket and confirmed what she was dreading; she owned a smart phone. To most normal people this would have been a good thing, but not her and not now. She was still staring at it when Adyson spotted her friend and went up to her.

"Gretchen, you do realize that just staring at your phone won't make something happen, right?" she said with a smirk.

Gretchen barely noticed her friend's words.

"What? Oh, yeah I know that." Gretchen was silent for a moment, before turning to Adyson. "What do you know about the Fireside Girls?"

"Not much. They seem like a pretty neat organization, but there's no troops in Danville. Otherwise, I would probably join." Adyson said.

Gretchen looked crestfallen, before asking Adyson one last question.

"Do you know a girl named Isabella Garcia-Shapiro?" she asked.

Adyson thought for a moment, then replied. "No, I don't think so. Why, do you know her?"

"Yes, I think I do."


	2. Chapter 2: Memory

Chapter 2: Memory

It took some doing, but the gang was eventually able to find a building they could get into without making it too easy for the tigers to follow. Hiding out on a third floor rooftop, Isabella stared out into the distance. She could see the familiar skyline of Danville in every direction, and even the distant mountains. She could almost bring herself to believe it was the real thing, but the strange mist that hung everywhere and the oppressive lack of color reminded her of their current situation. Baljeet had said this world was outside the flow of time, but she was still coming to terms with everything that meant.

 _It's not just that we don't exist, we NEVER existed and never will as long as we're in here. Everything I or the others have done, or would have done, is gone._

The worst part was that all memory of you was lost along with it, so not only had the world lost Phineas and Ferb, but it would never know just how bad that was. As for the others, Isabella had no idea what their overall contribution to the world would be, so there was no way to know how bad it was. Baljeet would probably do something great in the scientific fields, but who knew with Candace or Buford.

 _As for me, well… Fireside Girls Troop 46231 was started by Milly and I, so that's probably gone. And without that, I wonder what the girls are up to? A lot of them never met until they joined, so they probably don't know each other anymore. Well, I think Gretchen and Adyson were friends already, so they should still know each other._

That would be good at least. Gretchen was a painfully shy girl when Isabella first met her, Adyson was the only one who even really noticed her. She gained more confidence in herself with the Troop, but now that 46231 was probably removed from history, who could say.

 _I just hope she does alright, even with us still in here. I wonder what she's doing now, since she has no memory of me…_

Gretchen stared down at her notebook, her knuckles white as she gripped her desk. Finally, she read aloud what she had written.

"My name is Gretchen Roberts. I live in Danville, on Mahogany Street. My backyard faces the Garcia-Shapiro residence. A girl named Isabella Garcia-Shapiro lives there; she is one of my closest friends apart from Adyson Sweetwater. She is the leader of Fireside Girls Troop 46231, which I am also a member of along with Adyson Sweetwater, Ginger Hirano, Milly Reed, Katie Clarke, and Holly Darrin. And a few others who are still on a probation period, I think one of them is blonde and another is brunette. Across the street from Isabella is the Flynn-Fletcher household. Two stepbrothers, Phineas Flynn and Ferb Fletcher, live there along with their sister Candace Flynn. Every day, Phineas and Ferb build incredible things in their backyard. Isabella helps them, along with two other boys named Baljeet Tjinder and Buford van Stomm. Frequently, I and the other Fireside Girls help them out as well. This is largely because Isabella has a huge crush on Phineas who acts oblivious but sometimes I wonder if he knows more than he lets on. I rather fancy Ferb myself, but that's beside the point. The point is, that Phineas, Ferb, Candace, Isabella, Baljeet, and Buford have been doing truly amazing things all summer long and have inspired countless others. One day, they all disappeared without a trace and no one can remember them."

"What is that, a summery for another of your stories?" Adyson asked from the bed in the room. "It sounds like it would be better as a TV show, I bet Disney would love it. Except for that whole disappearing without a trace thing, might be a bit dark for that network."

Gretchen slowly looked over to her friend.

"Adyson, does none of that mean anything to you? Is there nothing about any of that which stirs some memory?" she asked.

"No, should it? I mean, aside from the fact that you and I are mentioned I don't recognize it. Why, is it from some other show I should know?"

Gretchen didn't respond, but Adyson could see she was crying.


	3. Chapter 3: Plans

Chapter 3: Plans

Phineas slowly opened his eyes as he recovered from passing out in the street.

"Uggh, Ferb I just had the worst nightmare. We were all-" Phineas cut short as he took in his surroundings. "I didn't dream that did I?"

"Not unless you somehow dreamt up a fate worse than all of us getting deleted from existence, then no you didn't." Candace said.

"Baljeet," Phineas said. "Tell me you've got some idea on how to get out of here."

The Indian boy looked at Phineas with tear-stained eyes.

"No Phineas, the machine is destroyed and without it the rifts will no longer open. Without the rifts, there is no way for us to get back in time."

"Well, that's not good enough! We're going to get back, I promise you that!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep Phineas."

Before Phineas could respond, Isabella rejoined the group.

"While I agree with Phineas that there must still be some way out of here, right now we need to focus on basic survival. We grabbed a few chickens on our way up here but it won't last long, not to mention we have nothing to drink which will kill us long before hunger will."

"Well you're the Fireside Troop Leader, what do you suggest?" Candace asked.

"I think we need to head out of the urban areas. There probably isn't running water in this world so we should head for the Danville River. That water is clean enough to drink if we boil it and we could follow the river further from town if we need to."

"What about those tigers?" Buford asked. "How are we going to get out of the city with them around?"

"I don't see any down there right now, but we'll have to move fast." Phineas said.

 _They think they need to find water, they think it still matters. Well, in all fairness it took me a while to figure it out as well. And I'm supposed to be this great scientist, but if I was so great I wouldn't have gotten myself into this situation- NO! Stop thinking like that, you know the risks! The Cold is always waiting for me to slip up, and I can't let it get me. I must stay focused, I must stay confident, I must stay… determined._

 _Those children don't know about the Cold yet. They'll learn in time, won't they? Yes, of course they will. The darker one is impressively intelligent, and the first two are even better builders than my old coworker. They'll figure it out, but what if they don't do it time? I can't risk letting the Cold take them, not if they could be the way out of here. I wonder…_

"Gretchen what's wrong? Whatever it is we can deal with it together, you know that right?" Adyson said.

"I know." Gretchen said as she restrained her tears. "But it'll be hard. I think we can try to do something to fix all this, but it will be extremely difficult. Are you up to that?"

"Gretchen, I'm with you no matter what. That's what being a friend means." Adyson said.

"Thank you Adyson. I'm still trying to put a plan together, and I think I might be able to contact someone who can help us. But I think you should get in touch with Ginger, you still know her right?"

"Ginger Hirano? Yeah I know her, didn't know you did. And I'm not entirely sure how she can help us."

"If nothing else she's an extra body. Besides, she'll want to be there when we fix everything."

"Alright. Who are you going to contact?" Adyson asked.

Gretchen smiled. "An old friend."


	4. Chapter 4: Meetings

Chapter 4: Meetings

"Does anyone know how long it's been since we first got pulled in here?" Candace asked suddenly.

Everyone looked up from their work. They'd managed to get to the river with no trouble from the tigers, and had spent the time since building a makeshift camp.

"No, I have no idea how long it's been." Phineas said. "Why?"

Candace hesitated for a moment before answering. "Well, it's probably been several hours at this point right?"

"Yeah, probably."

"Well, I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not hungry."

Phineas was about to ask why that mattered when it occurred to him what Candace was getting at.

"I think I understand. Ferb and I have been in here for what seems like most if not all of an entire day, and we haven't eaten anything in that time period either. But I'm not hungry in the slightest, are you Ferb?"

The green haired boy shook his head.

"What does that mean for us exactly?" Buford asked.

Baljeet's eyes went wide as he came to the realization.

"It means that we are in a type of stasis. If we were not hungry when we came to this place, we will not be as long as we're here."

"So we're not going to be anything more or less than what we were when he came here." Isabella said. "We don't need to worry about food or water since we can't get hungry or thirsty. All things considered, we probably can't die at all while we're here."

"Well, that's a good thing isn't it?" Candace asked.

"Ordinarily perhaps, but now what it means is that if we really are stuck in here for the rest of our lives…" Baljeet said.

"Then we're stuck in here forever." Phineas finished.

Buford was the first to break the long silence which followed.

"Then why are we bothering to make a camp? Why bother do anything in here? We can't get out of this place, not even death will set us free. Why go on with anything?"

Phineas answered. "Because we choose to. We can't just sit around and do nothing for all of time. There's got to be something we can do, a project to work on to pass the time. We can't give in to despair."

"That is exactly correct"

Everyone jumped at the sudden voice, as the speaker stepped into their midst. He was a tall man, well dressed in a white turtleneck and suit jacket.

"Um, who are you?" Isabella asked.

"Sorry I did not mean to startle you." The stranger said. "My name is Walter, Walter Dean Greer."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Greer, I'm Phineas Flynn." Phineas said. The others also introduced themselves.

"Mr. Greer, if you do not mind me asking, how did you end up in this world?" Baljeet asked.

"Well, it wasn't really intentional. I'm a scientist you see, and one day my experiments went wrong and… well, I'd rather not discuss it. It's been so long and it's not exactly a pleasant memory."

"We understand" Phineas said. "But what did you mean when you said that I was 'exactly correct?'"

"Oh yes, what I meant was that you had the right attitude. It is vitally important to keep some kind of central goal or focus when in this world, to keep the Cold at bay." Mr. Greer replied.

"The Cold?" Baljeet asked.

"Yes, the Cold. You see, this world and everything in it doesn't exist in any timeline or alternate dimension. We unfortunate souls have been completely removed from the multiverse. And here in the space between realities, everything starts to decay. A freezing entropy that consumes all, that is what the Cold is. The longer you are here, the more it pulls at you, the more it pulls you apart. Unless you counter it, the Cold will slowly but surely cause you to fade into nothingness."

"You said we can counter the Cold, how?" Phineas asked.

"By keeping yourself focused. It takes powerful determination to survive here, only the most determined of souls could hope to last, much less look for escape." Mr. Greer said.

Phineas was silent for a moment, then said. "Well, if it's determination that's required then we have plenty of it here. And if it's a project that's required, we're no strangers to that either. We'll get out of here no matter how long it takes, every last one of us. Mr. Greer, do you want to help us?"

Mr. Greer smiled. "Of course."

"Great, let's get started."

"Started with what?" Baljeet asked.

"With getting out of here. And I think I know how we can do it."

Gretchen, Adyson, and Ginger stood outside the café door, some more patiently than others.

"Why exactly are we waiting around outside when the person we're supposed to be meeting is already inside?" Adyson asked.

"Because I told them we would walk in the door at exactly 8:16. Temporal precision is important in this matter." Gretchen said.

"What did she say?" Ginger whispered to Adyson.

"Never mind. Well Gretchen if 8:16 exactly is the mark then how long is that?" Adyson asked.

"Three, two, one, now."

Gretchen opened the door and quickly scanned the room for their contact. She finally spotted them at a table near the back wall.

"My friend, it's been too long. How have you been?" Gretchen asked.

"I've been alright these past few months, and you?" they replied.

"Oh, I've been better. That's why I wanted to meet on such short notice." Gretchen said as the girls took their seats. "Oh, this is Adyson Sweetwater and Ginger Hirano."

"Pleasure."

"Same."

"So Gretchen, what's going on? You seem, very troubled."

"Well, it's the timeline. Earlier today there was a timeloop that kept repeating over and over again. Recently the loop stopped, but I fear permanent damage has been done." Gretchen said.

Adyson and Ginger exchanged confused looks, but Gretchen clearly had her friend's undivided attention.

"What sort of damage?" they asked.

"Things started to disappear as the loops went on, and people forgot all about them like they never existed. I mean, look at these place settings; I swear there is supposed to be a third type of utensil, called a spoon. But soon, people started disappearing. I don't know exactly how many, but several of my friends are gone now and I'm the only one who remembers them."

Gretchen's friend was silent for a few moments.

"I think I know someone who may have experienced what you're describing. He would know more about it than I would."

"Can we meet with him? I don't know how long it's been since these people disappeared and we should really hurry." Gretchen said.

"Of course. I was going to see him after this anyway, and you're right this needs to be dealt with as soon as possible. We should go right now in fact."

"Alright, let's go." Gretchen said.

As they stood to leave Ginger asked Gretchen's friend a question she'd been wondering for a while now.

"Hope you don't mind me asking, but why do you keep your eyes closed all the time?" she asked.

"Oh it's just more comfortable like that. I can see just fine anyway." they replied.

"Ok. Also, what is your name?" Ginger asked.

"Frisk."


	5. Chapter 5: Reality Wears Thin

Chapter Five: Where the Fabric of Reality Wears Thin

"Well Phineas, we're all ears. How exactly to plan on getting us out of here?" Candace asked.

"Baljeet, your scanner can detect changes in the space-time continuum right?" Phineas asked.

"Yes, it can." The Indian boy answered.

"Good. Basically, here's my idea: we use your scanner to try and find places where the fabric of reality is thinner." Phineas said.

"What do you mean thinner?" Mr. Greer asked.

"Well, the machine that caused us to be here was opening rifts in reality. Basically, I think that machine would cause some disturbance in the fabric of reality; kind of like how cracks on a table might cause a disturbance in a tablecloth."

"And you think we could try to break back into reality through one of these disturbances?" Isabella asked.

"It's worth a shot at least." Phineas said.

"I think you are correct and this could open a way for us to get back into reality." Baljeet said. "But there is no guarantee that whatever is causing the fabric of reality to wear thin is anywhere near Danville."

"Proximity in space is the least of our worries." Mr. Greer said. "It's entirely possible that we wouldn't even come out in the same time period as when we came to this place. We might even end up in a completely different dimension."

"We should be fine." Phineas said. "We've done time travel and interdimensional travel before."

Isabelle blinked.

"When did we do interdimensional travel?" she asked.

Everyone was silent for a moment, before Phineas replied.

"I don't know. But I'm sure we've done it before. Anyway, that's not important right now. What's important is that we find some way back into reality and I think this is our best bet. We can worry about being in the right time or dimension later."

"Alright, then we need to start looking." Baljeet said.

Frisk led Gretchen, Adyson, and Ginger through downtown Danville and into the suburbs, eventually coming to a rather ordinary looking house.

"Well, here we are." Frisk said.

"Is this your house?" Adyson asked.

"Not permanently. We're renting it for a few months to work on a project, a project which might be of help to you."

Frisk unlocked the door and the girls followed them in.

"sans, I'm back." they called to someone in the house.

"great, i could use a hand down here."

"I've also brought some people who could use our help." Frisk said as the group made their way into the basement. Blueprints and schematics covered the walls while almost all available counter space was filled with machine components. The room was dominated by a large gateway looking machine near the back wall. A figure in a blue hoodie was working on the machine and looked up as the group came down.

Gretchen had to look twice to make sure she wasn't seeing things. He was a skeleton, and a rather short one at that. He wore a blue hoodie and black sweatpants, as well as what looked like slippers.

"you must be gretchen. frisk's friend right?"

"That's right." Gretchen said as she shook the skeleton's extended hand. "This is Adyson Sweetwater and Ginger Hirano."

"nice to meet ya." sans said. After a brief pause, he asked. "so, none of you are even gonna react to meeting a skeleton?"

"Buddy, we're from Danville." Adyson smirked. "It takes more than that to catch us off-guard."

"fair enough. so frisk said you girls needed our help, what's the issue?"

Gretchen explained the situation, and then Frisk said to sans.

"It sounds a lot like what I've heard about Gaster."

"Who?" Adyson asked.

"latter kid." sans said.

"What I'm also not sure about is how I'm able to remember them when it seems no one else can." Gretchen said.

"well i can answer that one. are you familiar with the concept of a ripple-effect proof memory?"

"No, not that I'm aware of." Gretchen answered.

"well, basically a ripple-effect proof memory is a when someone or something's memory doesn't get affected by changes in the timeline. from the sound of things, your friends were probably deleted from history, which is why no one remembers them. but some people naturally posses the ability to remember these sorts of things. i have that power, and it sounds like you do too."

Frisk turned to sans.

"Do you think this machine can help them find their friends, along with anything else that went missing?" they asked.

"i'm sure it probably can, but we need to get it working first. and that is proving to be quite an issue; i'm still having no luck with the time circuits."

"Did you try arranging them so the machine's spatial energy flows parallel to the normal time-space continuum?" Gretchen asked.

"if we do that it'll just be a time machine." sans said.

"I like how he says 'just a time machine', like that's a lackluster thing to make." Adyson whispered to Ginger.

"Not parallel then, try 45 degrees or something close. I remember that working for an interdimensional portal." Gretchen said.

"When were you involved in interdimensional travel?" Ginger asked.

"I'm not sure, but I know I was." Gretchen answered.

"hhm. 45 degrees might work, let's give it a shot."

"And hope this works." Gretchen said to herself.


	6. Chapter 6: Reunion

Chapter Six: Reunion

"We are definitely getting a signal from over this way." Baljeet said as he led the group closer to the city.

"Is it being caused by the same machine that started this whole mess?" Candace asked.

"It might be. It is entirely possible for us to be detecting an anomaly that has already ceased to function in our timeline." the Indian boy answered.

The group followed the signal back into the city, over in the direction of Maple St.

"We destroyed the machine in our backyard, maybe it is making the signal." Phineas commented.

"No, it is actually coming from a few blocks over. But we are definitely getting close." Baljeet said.

"Would there really be another machine like this in suburban Danville?" Isabella asked.

"Yeah I figured we'd have to walk a fair distance before we found one." Phineas said.

"I don't know why you're complaining about not having to walk as far." Buford said.

"Everyone, we are here." Baljeet said.

The group looked at the house in front of them. It was a rather ordinary looking house, but now it was a symbol of hope.

"Our ticket back into reality may be inside." Candace said quietly.

"The question now is, how do make use of this discovery?" Mr. Greer asked.

"I'm sure we'll come up with a solution, we haven't failed to yet." Phineas said.

"kid, you sure do know a thing or two about quantum physics. this should finally work." sans said.

"I learned from the best, now let's just hope I can repay them." Gretchen said.

"welp, here goes nothing."

The four kids watched as sans made the final adjustments and activated the machine. The smell of ozone filled the air as the gateway sputtered to life. Initially it was just a blue light that grew steadily hazier, but soon it began to grow distinct edges and definite shape. Before the eyes of the onlookers, it took the unmistakable likeness of a portal. And above the considerable noise of the machine, a single voice could be heard.

"I'm sure we'll come up with a solution, we haven't failed to yet."

"Phineas! Is that you? Can you hear me?" Gretchen shouted to the portal.

Phineas' words were cut short by the sudden appearance of a blue light in their midst which quickly grew into a portal-like shape.

"Phineas! Is that you? Can you hear me?" came through the strange field.

"That's Gretchen's voice! Yes, Gretchen, we can hear you!" Isabella shouted.

"Thank goodness. Quickly, come through the portal!" Gretchen shouted back.

After exchanging a quick series of glances, the group did as they were told and charged headlong through the portal. They were greeted by dim lights, but the presence of color revealed their hopes had not been in vain.

"We're home!" Phineas shouted.

"Baljeet! How could I forget about you?" Ginger said as she ran and practically tackled him into a hug.

"Ginger, I am glad to see you too." Baljeet said as he returned her embrace.

"A little help over here?" a voice came from the floor. While running through the portal Buford had plowed straight into Adyson, sending them both to the ground.

"Sorry 'bout that Adyson." Buford said as he helped her to her feet.

"It's fine. Good to have you back." Adyson replied.

"Gretchen, how did you even remember us? And how did you manage to open a way out?" Isabella asked her friend.

"Apparently I remembered because I'm just that special. But I could never have gotten you guys back without help from Frisk and sans. Thank you both."

But sans attention wasn't on Isabella or her question. Instead his gaze was on the last figure to emerge from the portal.

"is- is that really you G?" sans asked.

"Oh, Mr. Greer we forgot about you- Mr. Greer?" Phineas cut short.

The pale man who introduced himself as Walter Dean Greer was no longer there. Instead stood a tall skeleton in a long coat.

"Yes, I'm afraid I am not who I claimed to be. I appeared human to you as I was afraid you wouldn't help me otherwise." He said.

"Buddy, we're from Danville. It takes more than that to catch us off guard." Buford said.

"He's right. But to avoid confusion, what is your name?" Phineas asked.

The skeleton smiled.

"My name is Dr. Wing Din Gaster. And I have waited a long time to say those words." He said.

"i can't believe it. you're really back." sans said.

"Yes my old friend, it's been far too long. You must tell me what you've been up to, I could only see so much from where I was."

"i'll admit, i'd had a hard time really caring about the world after what we found out. but i like to think i'm better now, thanks to my pal Frisk. Frisk, you should meet- Frisk?"

Frisk wasn't listening. Instead they looked like they were about to be sick.

"sans, they're here." Frisk said.

Wide eyed, sans shut down the machine.

"it's too late, isn't it?" he asked. Frisk only nodded.

"I don't get it, who's here?" Phineas asked.

Before anyone could respond a voice spoke. It was disarmingly innocent, like that of a young child. But even Phineas, who always had issues detecting malice, could tell this voice was a threat.

"Good day everyone."

Frisk could only whisper the name.

"Chara."


	7. Chapter 7: FIGHTing The Demon

Chapter 7: FIGHTing the Demon

"Frisk, who is Chara?" Isabella asked.

"Yes, Frisk. Tell them about how we cooperated in the past." The voice said.

"hey! that wasn't Frisk's fault and you know it, you little brat." sans said.

"No of course not. That was all the fault of that strange voice wasn't it? That voice that told you what to do and where to go. Strange how at first it told you to befriend everyone just for it to make you kill them later."

"Shut up." Frisk said.

"And do you really think that it's satisfied? It's been quiet for a while sure, but sooner or later they'll get bored. And when they do, they'll send you all right back underground."

"I said SHUT UP!" Frisk screamed.

"Look, Chara. I don't know who or what you are but you have no right to do this to Frisk." Phineas said.

"Oh Phineas, don't pretend we haven't met. I'm well acquainted with everyone in Danville."

"What are you talking about?" Adyson demanded.

"Every patch earned, every attempt to 'bust', every 'Big Idea' completed, every day seized, that feeling you get? That's me. The feeling of power, of progression."

"But, you're just a voice." Phineas said.

"You expected something else? Something like, this!"

Without warning, a dark tendril shot out from shadows and struck Phineas, sending him flying into the wall. The shadows gathered together into a vaguely human-looking form that sent chills down everyone present. And in the center of the shadows, a blood red face was smiling.

"I am the demon that comes when you call my name. I am the power that destroys. I am DETERMINATION INCARNATE! Now, it is time to FIGHT."

"welp, i've heard enough."

A half-dozen blue beams fired into Chara.

"Not bad, but it'll take more than that."

"And I will gladly provide it, if you will have my hands in battle old friend." Gaster said.

"anytime buddy."

"Don't forget about us, we're not going down without a fight!" Phineas said.

"About time this Jian patch came in handy, even if it is with a wrench." Adyson said.

"Then death to you all."

Several tendrils emerged from the shadows and attacked. Frisk back-flipped out of the way of one while Buford struck down another. Isabella and Gretchen grappled with their own while Phineas and Ferb handled another. Baljeet, not the best fighter of the group, desperately tried to evade Chara's attacks.

"Frisk, how on earth did you get so good at dodging?" Baljeet asked.

"I don't fight, so it was kind of a necessity." They said.

"Did you ever try getting better at taking the hits?" Adyson shouted over the din of battle.

"Once." Frisk said quietly.

Gaster and sans, meanwhile, were a sight to behold. Beams of energy flashed in all directions as bone-shaped projectiles cut the air. Years of non-existence had done nothing to dull Gaster's abilities, and now Chara was truly witnessing his wrath.

"Get up sans, we have to keep going!" Gaster said.

"gimmie a break G, i only have 1 hp."

"Wait, hp. As in hitpoint?" Phineas asked suddenly.

"Yes, it is how we measure our health and durability in battle." Gaster said as he fired another volley.

"Isn't that only used in video games?" Phineas asked.

Gaster was too preoccupied to respond, but Ferb could see where his brother was going.

"You think the voice that commands is related to the eyes that watch?" Ferb asked.

"That's my thinking." Phineas said.

"What are the eyes that watch?" Frisk asked as they dodged another attack.

Phineas had to deal with several tendrils, so Gretchen answered for him.

"It's what we call the feeling we get whenever someone seems to be watching us."

"It's always there, like hundreds if not thousands of people are watching you every day." Ginger added.

Frisk was so preoccupied with this new information that they nearly missed another of Chara's attacks. For a few moments everyone was so busy with the fight that they couldn't discuss the matter further, but every mind was racing with this new revelation.

"Do you think these 'eyes' might be able to help us?" Gaster asked when he had a moment.

"Desperate times." Ferb said.

There was a brief pause, before…

"Will you help us?" Gretchen asks you.


	8. Chapter 8: A Desperate Plea

Chapter 8: A Desperate Plea

Over the sounds of the battle, you can hear voices speaking to you.

"I know we have never been formally introduced, but I like to think that we know each other. Kind of." Phineas says.

"We don't really know that much about you, but you probably know us." Isabella adds.

"We know you have been watching our adventures all summer long." Baljeet says.

"Even if some things shouldn't have been seen…" Candace says bitterly.

"But hopefully you've enjoyed watching us." Gretchen says.

"Even if some of us got less screen-time than others." Adyson says.

"All in all, we've had some good times." Buford comments.

"And thank you for coming along." Ginger adds.

"But now, we need your help." Ferb says.

The battle shifts and their attention is required elsewhere, but more voices call out.

"I never really thanked you for guiding me through the underground. It was a difficult task and we made some mistakes, but things turned out alright in the end." Frisk says to you.

"while i'm not happy about what some of you made Frisk do, i know a lot of you never even considered the path of genocide. and really, you're part of the reason we're on the surface to help these kids in the first place."

"I owe you all even more than that." Gaster informs you. "Without your inquisitive minds I would have remained unknown and forgotten. It was your investigations that gave me the strength to stay determined."

"but, while i don't want to alarm any of you… we can't really beat this freak."

"It's not just their determination, we have plenty of that to be sure." Frisk says.

"But the kind of power this creature gained from its time in the void, is significant." Gaster states.

"and quite frankly we can't last much longer. eventually they'll get loose, and when that happens… Then not one of you will survive."

"But you can help us." Ginger says.

"You have the power to decide how this story ends." Adyson says.

"You may not realize it, but you've been in control this whole time." Baljeet says.

"You have the power." Buford says.

"The power to RESET." Gaster says.

"You are the architect of our fate." Gretchen says.

"Your next actions will decide how this goes." Ferb says.

"We'll do our best no matter what comes." Candace says.

"But our situation is very serious." Sans says.

"So there's just one thing we ask of you." Frisk says.

"Can we have a happy ending?" Phineas asks.

The battle intensifies and their voices say no more. I cannot tell you what to decide. I merely tell the story, I do not control it. But for what it's worth… I hope you make the right choice.


	9. Chapter 9: A Decision

Chapter 9: A Decision

"Do you think they heard us?" Adyson asked as she struck another shadow tendril.

"All we can do now is hope." Phineas said.

"Give it a rest, nobody came. And nobody is coming."

"No. They're wrong." Gaster said.

"you know something we don't G?"

"At the risk of sounding like Undyne, I can feel hearts and minds uniting to support us. It would seem our request was not in vain."

"Should we be seeing something?" Gretchen asked, dodging another attack.

"I don't know about seeing, but something feels different." Candace said.

"Different how?" Phineas asked.

After evading Chara's attacks for a few moments, Candace replied.

"Like I can see backward. Well, not really see but… it's hard to describe."

"I think I know what you're experiencing." Frisk said.

"as in… RESET?"

"Yes. Candace, try to imagine a control menu in front of you. Do you see it?"

"I- I do." Candace said surprised.

"Then RESET!" Frisk screamed as they were overrun by Chara's shadow tendrils.

"NO!"

Hoping for the best, Candace pressed the RESET button.

"I know what we're going to do today! I know what we're going to do today!"

Growling, Candace turned off her alarm clock.

"I know what we're going to today!" Came from her window.

Eyes snapping wide open, Candace rushed to the window sill and called to the kids in the backyard.

"You there boy, what day is it?"

"Why, the last day of summer of course." Phineas said. "And hopefully, the last one this year."

The backyard erupted into cheers.

Doofenshmirtz sat up in bed and struck his head on the low-hanging lamp.

"Ow! Didn't I- oh no it's still repeating!"

"Wakey wakey chocolate cakey!" Norm said as he entered the room.

Doofenshmirtz didn't even acknowledge the robot as he bolted into the hallway.

"Hey Dad, I think you should see this." Vanessa said.

"Yes, yes I know about the OWCA situation but apparently what we did before didn't work so we need to do something different now but I don't know what we'll do differently this time and-

"Dad! This isn't about OWCA, although I'm not sure how you knew about that. I just got a text from Candace and I think you should see it."

Taking the phone from Vanessa, Doofenshmirtz saw Candace's message.

"Hey Vanessa can you show this to your dad please? Hey, Vanessa's dad, this is Candace. You probably don't know me that well but I'm sending this message because I think you were experiencing the time loop just like I was. And you probably just had another one but don't worry, this is the last one. I don't really want to explain everything over text, but I had to reset- or RESET apparently- and now we should be reset to before your machine first turned on. It might be better to destroy it. Anyway, sorry for sending a text novel but I thought you should know."

"Dad, what is she talking about?" Vanessa asked.

Doofenshmirtz was silent a moment, before replying.

"She's talking about something that happened a long time ago, in a manner of speaking."

"Ok. Now, how did you know about my OWCA internship?"

"You told me during that time loop your little friend was talking about. And suffice it to say, we had a serious heart-to-heart and I've decided it's time to give up evil for good. Which can be taken two ways but both are correct."

"Well, while I have no memory of this discussion I'm glad we had it."

Just then, Perry the Platypus dove into the open balcony.

"Ah, Perry the Platypus. Did you like yesterday's trap? Because it's going to be the last one."

Perry blinked in uncertainty.

"Come on in Perry, we have some things to discuss."

"Is everyone ready?" Phineas asked.

"Are we sure he'll know what to do?" Gretchen asked.

"don't worry, kid. he's pretty clever with these things."

"Then I think it's time." Frisk said as they pulled the switch.

With a bright flash of light, the gateway opened. Instantly a tall figure leapt through and rolled to a stand.

"Get ready, they're right behind me." Gaster said.

A black mass was just coming into view… and was promptly struck by twelve attacks at once. The look on Chara's face was priceless as they were sent flying back from the portal. And in unison, twelve voices called out.

"Get dunked on!"


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: An Ending

"I want to thank you all again for your help. Without you, I wouldn't be possible." Gaster said.

"We're happy to help." Phineas said. "We're all about to head back to our house and have one last musical number, you guys want to come?"

"no thanks. we've got some catching up to do."

"Alright, hopefully we can see you guys again some time." Phineas said.

"I'm sure we will." Frisk said.

"Thank you again for your help Frisk." Gretchen said.

"Anytime my old friend. Consider it a thanks for what you did. My life was better for it."

After they were alone, sans asked Frisk.

"what did Gretchen do for you?"

Frisk smiled.

"Did I ever tell you why I climbed Mt. Ebott?"


End file.
